Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) neuroscientists discovered a method for reversing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease by interfering with a hyperactive enzyme present in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
The MIT researchers treated mice with a peptide designed to block CDK5, an enzyme that is typically hyperactive in patients with various neurodegenerative diseases, and observed significant reductions in neurodegeneration, the study says. Mice were better at performing tasks and showed reduced DNA damage in the brain. (RELATED: FDA Commissioner Calls For Crackdown On Health Misinformation, Claims It Reduces Life Expectancy)
A new peptide may hold potential as an Alzheimer’s treatment https://t.co/Kb9k5FrdU6 #neurology #neuroscience #alzheimers @MIT
— MedLink Neurology (@MedLinkNeurol) April 13, 2023
“We found that the effect of this peptide is just remarkable,” said Li-Huei Tsai, director of MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the senior author of the study, in a press release. “We saw wonderful effects in terms of reducing neurodegeneration and neuroinflammatory responses, and even rescuing behavior deficits.”
Ping-Chieh Pao, a research scientist at the Picower Institute, is the lead author of the study. It was published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
The peptide could potentially be used to treat Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases associated with CDK5 hyperactivity. Alzheimer’s symptoms include memory loss, challenges with planning, difficulties completing familiar tasks and new problems with words, according to the Alzheimer’s association.